EFFECTS OF PUNCHING WORK UPON PERIPHERAL VASCULAR SYSTEM OF FINGERS

Various subjective symptoms such as stiff feeling in the shoulder, myalgia and arthralgia especially in the right upper limb were observed among key-punchers (female office-workers) who were engaged in card punching operation using mainly the right middle finger on old type punching machine. Punching was performed at the rate of 3 to 4 touches per second for 285 minutes per day. On examining orthopedically, they were diagnosed as suffering from muscular fatigue or chronic tendovaginitis of the upper limb. Then a study was made on the effect of punching work upon the peripheral vascular system of the middle finger of both hands. The examinees consisted of six key-punchers, 22 to 34 years old, with seven to ten years of servise, and four female office-workers as the control group. The results obtained were as follows; 1) Significant reduction of the width of skin capillary figures were observed in the right middle finger in the puncher-group after working. 2) In winter, amplitude of pulse wave measured by phototransisteric plethysmography showed somewhat a decreasing tendency among the puncher-group after working, while an increasing tendency in the control-group. On the other hand, an increasing tendency in the amplitude was observed in spring in both groups. The results observed in winter seems to be more characteristic among the puncher-group. 3) Seasonal variations were observed in the reaction time of pulse wave of the middle finger to thermal stimuli, i.e. cold and hot water (7±2°C, and 49±2°C) for ten seconds each, to the back of hand of the same side. The change of the reaction time, especially to hot stimuli after working, was in winter while in spring more rapid, more slow in the puncher-group than the control-group. 4) Crest time of the pulse wave (i.e. the time during which constriction of peripheral blood vessels occur) was prolonged in the puncher-group after working. Therefore, the resistance of peripheral blood vessels seemed to be greater in the puncher-group than the control-group.